Permanent Secretary (ag), Ministry of Public Health Trevor Thomas says that the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the United States Department of Commerce has requested a full audit of the US$5.5M malaria grant to Guyana under the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Thomas told Stabroek News that the audit was requested but he could not confirm how far back the Inspector General would be looking into. He noted that alleged irregularities in the programme may have triggered the IG’s decision while adding that it is the prerogative of any donor to request an audit at any time.
Stabroek News was told that in 2010 the police were called in after the alleged misappropriation of funds and some assets for the programme had gone missing. While the issue was a police investigation little information flowed from that investigation. Stabroek News was also made to